538

538 can refer to the natural number itself or to FiveThirtyEight, a data journalism outlet named after the number of electors in the United States Electoral College.

The number 538 is even and composite, equal to 2 × 269. It is the total number of electors in the U.S. Electoral College, comprising 435 representatives, 100 senators, and three electors for the District of Columbia. In many political analyses, the 538 electors are the unit used to determine the winner of presidential elections when the electoral vote is decided.

FiveThirtyEight was founded by Nate Silver in 2008 as a political analysis blog. The site is named for the 538 electoral votes and is known for applying statistics and data visualization to news coverage. It gained prominence for election forecasting and probabilistic analyses, presenting forecasts as likelihoods rather than definitive outcomes.

Ownership and organization have changed over time. The New York Times acquired FiveThirtyEight in 2013, and in 2018 the brand was acquired by Disney’s ABC News division, becoming part of ABC News’ digital properties. The site continues to publish in-depth analyses across politics, sports, science, and economics, with an emphasis on transparent methodology and uncertainty in its forecasts.

In practice, FiveThirtyEight reports on polls, model-based forecasts, and data-driven commentary, often presenting probabilities for different outcomes and updating them as new information becomes available. The brand's influence in data journalism stems from its clear emphasis on method and probabilistic results.